FORCE YOURSELF TO SUFFER - Jordan Peterson (Best Motivational Speech)
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into the concept of spiritual development, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and integrating one's 'shadow' or darker tendencies rather than rejecting them. It argues that true strength lies in recognizing one's potential for harm and choosing not to act on it, fostering self-respect and the ability to face life's challenges. The script also discusses societal misconceptions about masculinity and the need for individuals to embrace their inner 'monster' to achieve a balanced and empowered state of being.
Takeaways
- 🧘 Spiritual development involves recognizing and integrating one's 'shadow' or darker tendencies, rather than merely casting them away.
- 🤼♂️ People who have integrated their shadow are often more self-respecting and less naive, as opposed to those who have not, who may be resentful and easily exploited.
- 🦄 The script suggests that being 'dangerous' in a controlled way is akin to having martial arts skills without needing to use them, which can be a form of strength.
- 🐰 It's not virtuous to be harmless; it's like being a rabbit, only capable of being preyed upon.
- 👹 The capacity for evil within oneself, when controlled, can be a source of virtue, as seen in characters like Harry Potter or Batman, who are flawed but strive for good.
- 🏆 The desire to win and the capacity to hurt others (without acting on it) is a necessary part of being a competent fighter and is linked to enlightenment.
- 📉 There's a societal imbalance focusing on rights without responsibilities, which has left a void in people's understanding of the importance of both.
- 💪 Encouraging young men to be competent and 'dangerous' is beneficial, as it helps them to stand up against the challenges of life and not be seen as weak.
- 🗡 The New Testament's phrase 'the meek shall inherit the Earth' is reinterpreted to mean those who are powerful but choose peace will prevail.
- 👶 Being naive and weak is not ideal; instead, one should aim to be formidable yet peaceful, which is a better approach to life's adversities.
- 🐉 The integration of one's shadow is crucial for understanding human potential for evil and is a step towards wisdom and enlightenment.
Q & A
What is the primary focus of spiritual development according to the transcript?
-The primary focus of spiritual development is to recognize and integrate one's 'satanic tendencies' or darker aspects, rather than casting them away, and to transmute these aspects into a form that contributes to personal growth and self-respect.
Why is it important to integrate the shadow side of one's personality?
-Integrating the shadow side is important because it prevents naivety and resentment, which often stem from being taken advantage of due to a lack of self-awareness and self-respect. It also helps in developing a sense of self-respect and the ability to handle life's challenges without succumbing to bitterness or danger.
How does the transcript describe the difference between people who have integrated their shadow and those who haven't?
-People who have integrated their shadow are described as less naive and more dangerous in a martial arts sense—they possess an implicit potential for havoc but do not need to use it. In contrast, those who haven't integrated their shadow are naive and often resentful, as they are more likely to be taken advantage of.
What is the relationship between being harmless and being virtuous according to the transcript?
-The transcript argues that being harmless is not the same as being virtuous. Harmlessness can be a sign of weakness, likening it to a rabbit that is harmless only because it cannot do anything but be preyed upon.
How does the transcript relate the concept of being a 'monster' to the idea of virtue?
-The transcript suggests that a person can be a 'monster' in the sense of having the capacity for harm or evil but chooses not to act on it, which is a higher form of virtue than simply being incapable of evil. This controlled 'monster' represents a powerful yet peaceful presence.
What is the significance of the capacity to be cruel as discussed in the transcript?
-The capacity to be cruel signifies strength of character and self-respect. It is not about being cruel, but about having the potential for cruelty and choosing not to exercise it, which is a mark of higher moral standing.
Why is the integration of one's shadow considered a step towards enlightenment?
-Integration of the shadow is a step towards enlightenment because it involves facing and understanding one's darker aspects, which is a part of personal growth and self-awareness. It also helps in developing the capacity to handle life's difficulties with strength and resilience.
What is the role of responsibility in the transcript's view on rights and happiness?
-Responsibility is seen as a crucial counterpart to rights. While happiness and impulsive pleasure are fleeting, it is through embracing responsibility for one's well-being, family, community, and the pursuit of eternal truth that people find meaning and grounding in life.
How does the transcript discuss the importance of competence and power for young men and women?
-The transcript emphasizes the importance of making oneself competent and 'dangerous' in a controlled manner, taking one's proper place in the world. It argues against the idea of promoting harmlessness and weakness, which can lead to bitterness and an inability to withstand life's challenges.
What is the connection between the integration of the shadow and the understanding of historical atrocities?
-Understanding one's own shadow helps in comprehending the capacity for terrible acts within oneself and others, including historical perpetrators of atrocities. This understanding is necessary to prevent such acts and to control the darker aspects of human nature.
How does the transcript relate the concept of the shadow to the discipline of children?
-Recognizing one's monstrous potential can make a person more effective at disciplining children by avoiding exposing them to one's dark side. It encourages treating children in a way that does not provoke the 'monster' within, thus maintaining a balanced and peaceful environment.
Outlines
🔍 Integrating the Shadow for Spiritual Development
This paragraph explores the concept of recognizing and integrating one's 'satanic tendencies' as part of spiritual development. Instead of casting away these darker aspects, the aim is to transmute them into something positive. The integration of the shadow is essential for personal growth, as it prevents naivety and resentment. Individuals who have embraced their shadow exude a dangerous yet controlled presence, which contributes to their self-respect and virtue. This is exemplified through characters like Harry Potter and Batman, who embody flawed yet heroic qualities. The narrative emphasizes the importance of embracing responsibility, competence, and the ability to confront life's challenges with strength and integrity.
⚔️ Embracing the Monster Within
This paragraph delves into the notion that individuals must become 'monsters'—capable of cruelty and danger—but learn to control these impulses to achieve true virtue. It critiques the societal push towards harmlessness and passive virtue, arguing that only those who can be dangerous but choose not to be are truly virtuous. The text underscores that strength and the ability to be formidable are crucial for self-respect and effective conflict resolution. This philosophy is reflected in martial arts training, which emphasizes peacefulness and confidence. Integrating one's shadow, or darker aspects, leads to a deeper understanding of human nature and better equips individuals to handle life's adversities.
🧠 The Importance of Understanding Human Nature
This paragraph highlights the necessity of understanding the darker aspects of human nature, as exemplified by historical atrocities. By acknowledging that perpetrators of such acts are not fundamentally different from oneself, individuals can gain crucial insights into their own potential for evil and learn to control it. The text discusses the challenges of this self-awareness and its importance for personal growth and wisdom. It argues that true enlightenment requires facing one's shadow and recognizing oneself as a potential source of evil, which paradoxically leads to greater self-respect and more effective discipline, especially in parenting.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Spiritual Development
💡Satanic Tendencies
💡Shadow Integration
💡Naive
💡Resentment
💡Martial Arts
💡Self-Respect
💡Responsibility
💡Competence
💡Meek
💡Enlightenment
💡Anti-Heroes
💡Discipline
Highlights
The importance of recognizing and integrating one's 'satanic tendencies' for spiritual development rather than casting them away.
The difference between individuals who have integrated their shadow and those who haven't, with the former appearing more self-assured and less naive.
The notion that being harmless is not synonymous with being virtuous, as it may simply indicate a lack of capability.
The idea that having the capacity for harm but choosing not to act on it is a sign of virtue and self-control.
The common mythological theme of the hero being a 'controlled monster' as exemplified by characters like Batman and Harry Potter.
The necessity of having the desire to win and the capacity to hurt as part of the path to enlightenment.
The societal imbalance between the emphasis on rights and the neglect of responsibilities, leading to a 'starvation' for the other side of the story.
The assertion that responsibility is where most people find meaning and the ability to withstand life's difficulties.
The critique of the modern tendency to equate masculine competence with tyranny, and its impact on young men and women.
The advice for individuals to become competent, dangerous, and to take their proper place in the world as a counter to weakness.
The interpretation of the New Testament's 'meek shall inherit the Earth' to mean those who are powerful but choose peace.
The argument that being capable of cruelty but choosing not to be is a higher moral state than being incapable of cruelty.
The psychological benefit of self-respect that comes from acknowledging one's capacity for harm.
The role of martial arts in training individuals to be peaceful but also capable of defending themselves when necessary.
The paradoxical idea that developing one's monstrousness can actually be the best guarantee of peace.
The Jungian concept of integrating the shadow as a means to understand human capacity for evil and prevent atrocities.
The challenge of facing one's own capacity for evil as a step towards enlightenment and wisdom.
The transformative effect of recognizing one's monstrous side on self-respect and the way one treats oneself.
The application of understanding one's monstrous side in the discipline of children, avoiding exposing them to one's dark side.
The potential long-term damage of undermining a child's courage through sophisticated forms of abuse.
The Freudian psychoanalytic perspective on the consequences of not being respected by a child and the potential for revenge.
Transcripts
part of Spiritual Development is to
recognize the satanic tendencies that
characterize you and to fully wrestle
with them and to and to integrate them
that's the thing it's it's not so much
to cast them away it's to transmute them
you know and you can see the difference
between people who've done that and
people who haven't at least to some
degree because people who haven't
integrated the shadow at all are naive
and you can tell that when you look at
them and you can tell that when you talk
to them and because they're naive
they're often resentful as well because
they get taken advantage of and someone
who's integrated that more they're
dangerous in in the martial arts sort of
way which is they're dangerous but they
don't have to be they don't have to use
it because their presence
radiates implicit potential for havoc
and that's really necessary it's one of
the things that gives people
self-respect if you're harmless you're
not virtuous
you're just harmless you're like a
rabbit a rabbit isn't virtuous he it's
just just can't do anything except get
eaten it's not virtuous if you're a
monster and you don't act monstrously
then you're virtuous but you also have
to be a monster well you see this all
the time Harry Potter's like that too
it's like he's he's flawed he's hurt
he's got evil in him he can talk to
snakes man he breaks rules all the time
all the time he's not obedient at all
all but you know he has a good reason
for breaking the rules and if he
couldn't break the rules him and his
little click of rule breaking you know
troublemakers if they didn't break the
rules they wouldn't attain the highest
goal so it's very peculiar but it's a
very very very very common mythological
notion you know the hero has to
be the hero has to be a monster but a
controlled monster Batman is like that
you know I mean it's it's everywhere
it's it's the story you always here if
you're going to be a fighter you have to
want to win and you have to want to hurt
people I mean not for the sake of
hurting them that's what makes you
different than an evil person but you
have to have that capacity you have to
develop that and you know that's the
step on the way to Enlightenment weirdly
enough because that isn't what people
think people have been fed this diet of
paum Rights and impulsive freedom for so
long there's just an absolute starvation
for the other side of the story there
are no rights technically speaking
without responsibility ities and all
we've had for 60 years is a dialogue
about rights well that leaves a hole on
the other side of the story and it's a
hole that that's in people's hearts
essentially because responsibility well
perhaps that's not more important than
rights like I said they're they're part
and parcel of the same formula but it's
in responsibility that most people find
the meaning that sustains them through
life it's not in happiness it's not an
impulsive pleasure those things blow
away at the first ill wind but to adopt
the responsibility for your own
well-being and to try to put your family
together and to try to serve your
community and to try to seek for Eternal
truth and to live them that's the sort
of thing that can ground you in in your
life enough so that you can withstand
the difficulty of life and when you tell
people that especially when you include
yourself in the audience let's say and
you're not finger waving from above then
everyone knows that it's true there's
been this attempt to identify masculine
competence and and power let's say but
mostly competence with tyranny and
that's very very hard on on young men
it's also hard on young women for that
matter but it's very helpful for people
to hear that they should make themselves
competent and dangerous and take their
proper place in the world because it's
the alternative to being weak and weak
is not good the people who shoot up the
high schools they're weak they're weak
and life is a very difficult process and
you're not prepared for it unless unless
you have the capacity to be dangerous
that doesn't mean that you should be
cruel it doesn't mean any of that
there's a statement in the New Testament
the meek shall inherit the Earth but the
meek isn't well translated it means
something more like those who have
swords and know how to use them but keep
them sheathed will inherit the world
that's a way better way of thinking
about it you have to be powerful and
formidable and then peaceful in that
order right and that's not the same as
being naive and weak and harmless which
is what young men are being encouraged
to be it's like that's a very bad idea
it's a very bad idea because naive weak
and harmless means that you can't
withstand the tragedies of life you
can't bear any responsibility you'll end
up bitter and when you get bitter then
you get dangerous you don't treat adult
men as if they're
infants but the young men really need to
hear this more I think is that you
should be a monster you know cuz
everyone says well you should be
harmless virtuous you shouldn't do
anyone any harm you should sheath your
competitive Instinct you shouldn't try
to win you know you you don't want to be
too aggressive you don't want to be too
assertive you want to take a back seat
and all of that it's like
no wrong you should be a monster an
absolute monster and then you should
learn how to control
it someone who is incapable of Cruelty
is a higher moral being than someone who
is capable of Cruelty and I would say
and this follows Yung as well that
that's incorrect and it's dangerously
incorrect because if you are not capable
of Cruelty you are absolutely a victim
to anyone who is and so part of the
reason that people go watch anti-heroes
and villains is because there's a part
of them crying out for the incorporation
of the monster within them which is what
gives them strength of character and
self-respect because it's impossible to
respect yourself until you grow teeth
and if you grow teeth then you realize
that you're somewhat dangerous or maybe
somewhat seriously dangerous and then
you might be more willing to demand that
you treat yourself with respect and
other people do the same thing and so
that doesn't mean that being cruel is
better than not being cruel what it
means is that being able to be cruel and
then not being cruel is better than not
being able to be cruel because in the
first case you're nothing but weak and
naive and in the second case you're
dangerous but you have it under control
and you know a lot of martial arts
concentrate on exactly that as part of
their philosophy of training it's like
we're not training you to fight we're
training you to be peaceful and awake
and avoid fights but if you happen to
have to get in one and I guess the
philosophy also is is that if you're
competent at fighting that actually
decreases the probability that you're
going to have to fight because when
someone pushes you you'll be able to
respond with confidence and with any
luck and this is certainly the case with
bullies with any luck a reasonable show
of confidence which is very much
equivalent to a show of dominance is
going to be enough to make the bully
back off and so the strength that you
develop in your monstrousness is
actually the best guarantee of peace and
that's partly why Yung believed that it
was necessary for people to integrate
their Shadow and he said that was a
terrible thing for people to attempt
because the human
Shadow which is all those things about
yourself that you don't want to realize
reaches is all the way to hell and what
he meant by that was it's through an
analysis of your own shadow that you can
come to understand why other people are
capable and you as well of the sorts of
terrible atrocities that characterized
let's say the 20th century and without
that understanding there's no
possibility of bringing it under control
when you study Nazi Germany for example
or you study the Soviet Union
particularly under stellin and you're
asking yourself well what are these
perpet trators like forget about the
victims let's talk about the
perpetrators the answer is they're just
like you and if you don't know that that
just means that you don't know anything
about people including yourself and then
it also means that you have to discover
why they're just like you and believe me
that's no picnic so that's enough to
traumatize people and that's partly why
they don't do it and it's also partly
why the path to Enlightenment and wisdom
is seldom trod upon because if it was
all a matter of following your bliss and
doing what made you happy then everyone
in the world would be a paragon of
wisdom but it's not that at all it's the
it's a matter of facing the thing you
least want to face this is an
interesting thing about the integration
of the Shadow because recognizing
yourself as the Locust of evil let's say
actually in some sense gives you far
more respect for yourself strangely
enough because the same respect that you
might have for a wild animal or even a
monster so then maybe you learn to treat
yourself differently like I I I think
this is particularly true with regards
to the discipline of children you know
if you know that you're a
monster and that that will manifest
itself in your life consciously or
unconsciously and if it's unconsciously
it's it's not good then you become
better at disciplining children and the
reason for that is that you don't want
to expose them to your dark side and so
if they behave and don't provoke you
which means they'll also behave for
other people then the Monstrous part can
stay in OB bance and then that's great
but if you don't understand yourself as
capable of wreaking havoc and that can
be the kind of Havoc that unfolds over
decades right because if you're going to
abuse a child it's the Primitive form of
abuse is the physical abuse the
sophisticated form of abuse is the
continual undermining of the child's
courage across perhaps their entire life
and that's there's a terribly monstrous
element to that and if you're not
respected properly by the child say you
will absolutely take revenge on them and
you know in some sense that's the whole
Freudian psychoanalytic story it's it's
not all of it but you either have that
or it has you those are the options and
you don't become safe by being
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